Farhan enters top five as Nawaz makes major leap in T20I rankings

Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has broken into the top five of the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, achieving a career-best fourth place following his strong run in the ongoing tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

Farhan climbed eight positions to reach 776 rating points. Former captain Babar Azam also improved his standing, rising five places to 29th with 572 points. Saim Ayub remained 37th on 538 points, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan dropped five spots to 46th.

Fakhar Zaman moved three places up to 57th, whereas T20I captain Salman Ali Agha slipped to 63rd. Several middle-order players saw declines, including one batter dropping to 76th and wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris falling four places to 88th.

India’s Abhishek Sharma continued to top the batting list, followed by England’s Phil Salt and India’s Tilak Varma.

In the bowling charts, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed held firm at eighth with 659 points. All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz made one of the most significant gains, jumping 14 places to 13th with 638 points, marking his strongest bowling ranking in recent months. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi dropped four spots to 18th, while spinner Sufiyan Muqeem and pacer Haris Rauf also slid in the updated list.

Meanwhile, Salman Mirza climbed five positions to 38th, and Faheem Ashraf rose nine places to 53rd. Abbas Afridi fell sharply, dropping 11 spots to 66th.

India’s Varun Chakravarthy retained his position as the world’s top T20I bowler, followed by New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

In the all-rounders’ category, Nawaz advanced one place to seventh, while Faheem Ashraf slipped to 35th and Shaheen Afridi to 59th. Salman Ali Agha fell three spots to 69th, and Abbas Afridi dropped to 81st.

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza took over as the number one T20I all-rounder, replacing Pakistan’s Saim Ayub, with West Indies’ Roston Chase ranked third.